Wandering through the LGS yesterday I encountered a MAS 36/51. Nice looking rifle over all, looks to be unissued condition. Bore looks new as does the bolt. 150 bones later I had it home and starting searching for info. Made in early 1953, it has all the proper markings and is 'as new'. NOW, to find some 7.5 french ammo. Post war2 production, but it well fill the French slot for the war2 collection.

I miss mine dearly It's was BRAND new...still wrapped in wax paper and twine when it was purchased, not a ding on it. It had the grenade launcher attachment and front leaf sight as well like the one pictured below. Enjoy, they are great shooters and one of the coolest little bolt guns out there. I pine for another every time I hear about one.

That had me going for an evening. I'm looking at the end of the bolt
I finally figured it just didn't have a safety. Confirmed that with more research. I read that troops would chamber a round and leave the bolt unlocked as a makeshift safety.

I'm pleased with the quality of the MAS, much nicer than I anticipated.

Bought one years ago and after shooting it traded it off.Didn't like the sights,lack of safety,and it just didn't feel right.Hard to believe the french used it as the basis for their sniper rifles, probably to this day.Did keep a Mas 49,and a 49-56.

As to the often parroted derision of the French fighting man in 1940, people would do well to remember that Germany had been preparing for war for 10 years already, and sucker punched just about every European nation at that time. Once everybody knew it was on, I'd say the French Marquis ( resistance ) did a sterling job of giving Jerry hell. Blitzkrieg means "lightning war" ... Hitler wasn't sending out a memo to anyone.

As far as I know, French rifles, until the adoption of semi-autos, never had safety mechanisms.

They were designed to be carried chamber empty, magazine full. It was apparently felt that cycling the bolt to load the rifle when needed was far preferable to carrying around a rifle with a loaded chamber, even one with a safety.

Probably some validity to that theory.

Two things about French military history:

1. Sure, those funny "never fired, dropped once" oneliners are "funny," pretty much in the same way that your buddy getting hit in the groin with a football is "funny."

But, they don't have much basis in reality. While I'm not a particular fan of the French, I'm more than willing to have a discusion on the quality of the French as military personnel, because in general, they don't have a lot to be ashamed of.

2. The next person who comes across with one of those 'oh so humorous statements on French military prowess'?

I promise you I will chuckle you as I ban you from farther participation at TFL.

I promise.

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"The gift which I am sending you is called a dog, and is in fact the most precious and valuable possession of mankind" -Theodorus Gaza

I'd like to remind readers here that the Germans had over 157,000 casualties in the Invasion of France, which lasted just over six weeks, as well as about 1200 aircraft and 800 tanks lost in action. It was hardly a walkover. In comparison, the Germans had only 50,000 casualties in the Invasion of Poland, of which about 16,000 were killed.

The father of one our employees here served in the French Army in WWII. He is Senagalese.

The MAS 36, while not the last bolt action military rifle to be manufactured, was probably the last to be designed. It did not replace all the other rifles by the start of the war, which among other things, meant an infantry squad might be using weapons using two different rifle cartridges. It was also not issued overseas by the start of the war. Even after the war, older weapons continued in use in places for another ten years or so.

Some of the Berthier carbines were marked with a very elaborate script that I noticed on one I examined at the old Potomac Arms in Alexandria, Virginia, several years ago on some nice Saturday morning. They had a number of artillery pieces on hand, too, that had been there as long as I'd been visiting the place, probably 30 years by then. The store was right on the Potomac River and was prone to flooding periodically. The building was elevated (for other reasons besides just avoiding the water) but the parkng lot and all those interesting little artillery pieces frequently got soaked.

While waiting around for the store to open, I was looking at the guns, which included a 7.5 cm German Infantry gun, a few Italian anti-tank gun as well as a couple of French 25mm anti-tank guns. One of the French guns was manufactured just a month or so before the invasion in 1940. I thought to myself, the next time I came by, I would bring things to make a rubbing of the interesting inscription. Well, the next time I came by, whenever that was, they were gone. After having sat on the lot probably for over 40 years, someone had bought the whole lot and they were gone!.

He who hesitates, well, you know, can't make a rubbing from a French anti-tank gun.

"The reason the rifle has no safety is that French troops were taught that the rifle was to be kept empty until needed. Seems to me when that time came it was already too late."

THanks Pukindog

Well I did not know that,.. So I am French Soldier Laying in ambush.. So does anyone know did French Doctrine say Crank a round in a keep your finger off the trigger till the enemy enters the ambush.. Or crank a round in at the time of firing??????

The problem with French troops in 1940 is the same problem our troops had in Vietnam-bad leaders.
One design feature of the MAS 1936 is the rear sight has no windage adjustements, they were made by installing a new peep sight with the correct amount of offset. The screws on the front band require a special screwdriver, it's fairly easy to make your own.
Neither the Lebel nor the Mannlicher-Berthier which preceded the M1936 in French service had safeties, the version I read said they thought safeties led to a false sense of security.

I was in the Ahn Khe pass in 1968 and there was a small plot of ground with a lot of white stones, it was the burial ground for Group Mobile 100 of the French Army who had died almost to a man in 1954. Can't give much more than that.

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"Peace is that brief glorious moment in history when everybody stands around reloading"
--Unknown Soldier--
Bravery is being the only one who knows you're afraid.
- David Hackworth -

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